Indicating device



July 21,1931. c. B. MILLS 1,815,575

I INDICATING DEVICE mginal Filed sein. 14. 1921 to some suitabley n ruary 21, 1928.

PatentedN Jpuly 21, 1931 CHESTER B.. MILLS, DECEASED, BY LUELLA H. MILLS, OE BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A.AND THE NATIONAL CITY BANK OF NEW, YORK, OF NEWYORK, N. Y., COEXECUTORS, .ASSIGNORSBY` MIE-SNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO SPERRY GYR-OSCOPE COMPANY, INC., OF

f BROOKLYNNEW YORK, A CORPORATION O-,F NEW YORK INDICIATING DEVICE Original application iled September 14, 1921, Serial No. l500,599. `Divided andthis" application lred August 16, 1927. serial No. 213,428'.

This invention relates to transmitting devices adapted to transmit indications of varying degrees of fineness in different ranges of movement of a movable element.- For eX- ample, in transmitting "an yindication of the movements of a Sli/ips rudder to-a suitable receiving instrument or rudder'angle indi'- cator on the bridge of a vessel it is highly de,- si'rable to magnify the in dications of rudder movement Within, say, 5 degrees to each side of the central position, because the, lsmall rudder movements Within this range are thusv normally employed to counteract the normal yavving movements ofa a vessel. thls range coarser Indications may be einployed because the rudderv movements are 4 large. The invention is shown and described Beyond f in connection With transmitting indications of the position of a rudder tov a'rudder angle indicator but it Will be Ereadily apparent that the invention hasgeneral application Whereever indications varying in fineness in different ranges are to be transmitted, preterably receiving instrument'. This application is a division of copending appli'- cation noW Patent No. 1,659,828,.dated Feb- Other objectsl and advantages-"of this in-` vention Will become apparent in the4 followl 30. ing detailed description thereof.

In the accompanying drawings v Fig. 1 is a front elevation'of a rudder angleindicatinginstrument adaptedy to receive the transmitted indication.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view i through the casing of the transmitting in- V In 1 there is shown a receiving instru' strument taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3, land parts being shownin elevation.

Fig.\ 3 is a .vertical sectionthrough the 'transmitting instrument taken in 'a plane at right angles to the plane of Fig. 2 and disclosing additional parts on top ofthe ease.

Fig@ is a vWiring diagram'.`

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of the rudder and transmitter actuated therement to Which my invention isparticularly applicable. l

angle indicator,` that is, an instrument for This instrument is a rudderindicating the position of the rudder to port y or to starboard. This instrument comprises a cdsing 1 Within which is enclosed a repeater v so l..

provided with nine field poles instead of five. l

The armature ofthe motor, as Would be readily understood, comprises a pair of oppositely kextending elements' and 6 cooperating with the field poles. With the motor shown, by varying the energization of the field poles in lution of the motor armature may be obtained as will appear more fully hereinafter. Fixed to the shaft of the armature isa pointer 8 adapted to be read in conjunction with a scale 9. The latter may be formed in two sectionsv each depicted in any suitable manner on a corresponding semi-circular glass plate 'mounted in casing 1 just beneath the pointer setsof four and ve,`thirtysix steps per revo- 8. Said semi-circular plates are designated 10 and l1 respectively and may be of different colors so that it may be readily determined Whether the rudder is moved to the port or starboard. If, desired, one of ysaid plates may have the Word Port marked thereon and the other the Word Starboard f When the rudder is in its neutral position thev pointer 8 lies over the .dividing line between plates `10 and 11 which corresponds with the zero point of scale 9. Each section of said scale is provided With corresponding graduationsby which the angular movement of the rudder to either side ofy its neutral position maybe indicated. Imthejexamplev shown, each section of said scale is graduated .to indicate the angular'v position .of the rudder up to 35, degrees, seventeen graduations being provided on each side of zero. As it is de sirable to ascertain the-position of the rudder With greater accuracy when the rudder is positioned at small angles with` respect to itsA neutral position, the graduations from zero to five degrees are kin units of one degree, While the indications from 5 to 35 degrees, Where less'accuracy is required, are in units of 21/2 degrees. Means are provided for causing each step of the repeater motor and pointer 8 to correspond to one degree of turn of the rudder for movement of the vlatter between zero and five degrees and for causing each step of said motor and pointer to correspond to 21/2 degrees of turn of the rudder for movement of the latterbetvveen 5 and 35 degrees.

The means for accomplishing the above purpose, Whichmay be otherwise stated as transmitting fine indications of small deviations of the rudder from neutral and transfrom shaft 27 and from each other.

4ments 29 and 30 rotate, they engage different rshaft 27 to which is secured a commutating member 28. The latter may consist of a block 28 of insulating material to Which are secured diametrically` opppsite kconducting segments 29, 30. Segment 29 may be electrically connected to a metal ring 31 on shaft 27, While segment 30 may be electrically connected-to a similar ring 32 on said shaft. Brushes 33v lead in current to said rings, which, as will be understood, are insulated Assegones .of a series of contacts connected to the field poles of the repeater motor. Such coni tacts may take the form of spring brushes 34, one for each field pole, said brushes being carried by suitable posts 35 and being engageable by segments 29 and 30. The posts 35 form part of a frame for the transmitter proper, said frame including plates 36 and 37 Within which shaft 27 is rotatably mounted. Contact plugs extending from plate 37 and electrically connected to brushes 33 and 34 fit removably into sockets 39 provided in an insulating base 40 secured to the floor of casing 26. A terminal block 4l is also shown Vsecured to said iioor and provides means for connecting the brushes of the transmitter with conductors leading to the repeater motorV in the indicating instrument.

i For causing rotation of shaft- 27 in response to turning of the 'rudder various means may be provided. One form of suchY meansv is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. A shaft 42 is shown rotatably mounted Within the cover 43 of casing 26 and has secured thereto outside of said casing a crank arm 44Which in turn is connected by a link 45 extending to the moving element, in this case, the link 44 fixed to the pivot posts of the rudder R. Hence Whenever the rudder or other moving element turns, the shaft 42 also turns through a cor- Lemma responding angle. For turning transmitter shaft 27 an arm 49 is fixed'to shaft 42. As has been previously pointed`out, m'ovements of the rudder outside of certain limits adjacent its'neutral position need not be indicated so accurately as movements of the rudder Within said limits. For this purpose arm 49 carries two gear segments 50, 51 respectively, at different distances from shaft 42. Gear segment 50 is at a greater distance than segment 5l from said shaft and is designed to engage with a gear 52 fixed to transmitter shaft 27, for movements of the rudder Within, say, five degrees on either side of its neutral or zero position. As long as segment 50 turns shaft 27 one degree of rotation of the rudder results in movement of the transmitter an amount sufficient to cause the repeater motor to m'ovc pointer 8 through one step. Vhenever the rudder is moved beyond five degrees on either side of its neutral position, gear segment 50 moves out of mesh With gear 52, and gear segment 5l comes into mesh with a gear 53on the shaft 27. The latter segment is so designed as to cause movement of the transmitter suflicient to turn pointer 8 through one step in response to turning of the rudder through tvvo and one-half degrees. i

Hence for movement ofI the rudder beyond five ldegrees on either side of its neutral position, two and one-half degrees of turn of the rudder are necessary before pointer 8 is moved from one graduation to. the next on scale 9. When the rudder is moved back Within five degrees of its neutral position, segment 51 moves out of m'eshyvith gear 53, and segment 50 again engages gear '52. Gear segment 5l is provided with teeth on opposite sides of segment 50, as shown, so that movement of the rudder beyond five degrees from its neutral position on `either side of the latter results in the meshing of said segment 5l with gear Wheel 53.

The gearwheel 52 is `keyed to the hub 54 of gearvvheel 53, Whichlatter gearvvheel is in turn keyed directly to shaft 27. A pas sage'55 may be provided in cover 43 for lubricating hub 54, and a grease cup 56 may be employed for furnishing lubricant to said hub through said passage. A similar passage 57 and grease cup, 58 may be provided in connection with shaft 4 2. The plate 36 of the transmitter may be secured to a, plate 59 in turn securedto the cover 43. Said transmittermmay thus be removed as a unit with cover 43, the plugs 38 being detachable from sockets 39.

In Fig. 4 are shown'the electrical connections between the transmitting and indicating instruments. Current from a direct current main GO-is led to one o f contact segments 29, 30 through the corresponding brushes 33, While current from the other of said mains is led to the other of said segments. A coil 61 which serves to polarizethe armature of the repeaterimotor is also supplied with current from said mains. The lamp 12 is shownv in parallel with coil 61, switch 22 being in-` terposed in the connections to said lamp. Each of brushes 34 is connected to a corresponding one-of the coils 63 of eld poles 4. The segments 29, are designed-so that as the transmitter shaft is turned the field coils 63 are energized consecutively in alternate groups of four and live.v For example, the segments 29 and 30 are shown in Fig. 4 in such position that field windings 63a, 68h, 63e and 63f, are energized. Now if the commutator 28 be turned clockwise the brush 34 that corresponds with coil 63i will be engaged by segment 30 and thereupon the last mentioned coil is energized in addition to the aforementioned coils so that the repeater motor arma- 'ture is turned through ten degrees clockwise from its position shown. Clockwise rotation of commutator 28 through another 10 degrees results in the breaking of contact between segment SO'and the brush connected to coil 63b,`the brushes connected with coils 63e and 63f still remaining in contact withsegment 29 and the brushes connected to coils 63a and 63e remaining in contact with segment 30 so that an additionalten degrees-clockwise rotation of the repeater armature results. Thus the coils of the repeater motor are energized in such sequence as to cause movement of the armature through ten degrees for eachy ten degrees of rotation of the commutator 28. For one revolution of said commutator the armature of the repeater motor, and hence pointer 8, is turned through 36 steps, each of ten degrees. .As ihas been heretofore explained, theconnections between the rudder and the shaft 27 of commutator 28 areV such that for movements of the rudder within five degrees of its neutral position turning of the rudder through one degree results .in turning of commutator 28 sufliciently to fmove the .armature of the repeater motor through one step, while for movements of the rudder be yond five 4degrees of its neutral position m'ovement of said armature through one step corresponds to turning of the: rudder through two and one-half degrees. It will thus be seen that as `the rudder turns, its angularpositi'on will be indicated by pointer 8 on .synchronous and is particularly advanta-v scale 9. v I The type of motor shown in Fig. 4 isselfgeous for this reason. If the current supply should fail and the rudder be turned While the current is off, the reestablishment of current in theV system results in the automatic gether with the apparatus, which I now consider to represent the best embodimentthereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention can .be carried out by other means. Also, while it is .designed to use the various features and elements in the combination and relations described, some of dicator, a transmitter, means'whereby said" transmitter actuates said indicator, and means whereby said member actuates said transmitter, said last-named means including a connection whereby said transmitter is operated through unequal increments of angular movement corresponding to equal inprinciple of operation of my invention, to- `f crements of movement of said member in various stages of the movement of said mem,- ber. v

2; In an indicating system. for indicating at a distance the movements of a member, the combination with said member, of

anfindicator, a transmitter, means whereby said transmitter actuates said indication, andl means whereby sald member actuates ido said transmitter, said last-named means -including a fine connection and a 'coarse connection whereby said transmitter is operated through unequal increments of angular movement corresponding to equal increments of movement ofsaid member in various. l

stages of the movement of'said member.

3. InV an 'indicating system for indicating at a distance the movements of'a member,` the combination withv said member, Iof an indicator, a transmitter, means whereby said" transmitter actuates V'said indicator, and means` whereby said member actuates said transmitter, said last-named Imeans include ing a fine connection and a coarse connection whereby said transmitter is operated through unequal incrementsl of angular movement corresponding to equalin'crements of movement of said member and means whereby said connections become successfully .effective in the continued movement` of said member.

4. In an indicating system for indicating at a distance the movements of amember, the

combination with said member, of an indicator, a transmitter, means whereby said transmitter actuates said indicator, and means whereby said member actuates 'saidi transmitter, saidlast-na'm'ed means including a fine gearing connection, a coarse gearing connection, and means whereby said connections are successively rendered effective whereby said transmitter isoperated with different degrees of ineness in various stages of the movement of said member.

5. In an indicating system for indicating at a distance the movements of a member, the combination with said member, of an indicator, a transmitter, means whereby said transmittefr actuates said indicator, and means whereby said member actuates said transmitter, said last-named means including a ine gearing connection and a coarse gearing connection, and said connections being arranged to become successively etl'ective in the continued movement of said member.

6. In an indicating system for indicating at a distance the movements of a member, the combination with said member, of an4 indicator, a transmitter, means whereby said transmitte'r actuates said indicator, and means wherebv saidmember actuat'cs said transmitter, said last-named means including a plurality of concentric gears of various sizes, means whereby said member moves said gear, a gear segment connected tosaid Jtransmitter and subdivided into successive portions, each portionA adapted `to Amesh successively with one of said concentric gears whereby said transmitter is operated with different degrees i of `fineness in various stages of the movement -of said member.

7. In an indicating system for indicating at a distance the movementsof a member, the combination with said member, of an indicator, a transmitter, means whereby said trailsmitter actuates said indicator, and means whereby said member actuates said transmitter, said last-named means including a fine connectionY and a coarse connection,` said connections being arranged so that said fine connection is effective in the early stages of the movement of said member within predetermined limits and said coarse connection isefective during the movements .of said member beyond said limits. i

8. In a rudder angle indicating system, in combination, a rudder, an indicator, a trans- `mitter, means whereby said transmitter acrudder actuates said transmitter, said lastnamed means including a tine connection and a coarse connection whereby said transmitter is operated through unequal increments 01": angular movement corresponding to equal increments ofmovement of said member, and means whereby said connections become suclcessively eii'ective in the continued movements of said rudder.

l0. In a rudder angle indicating system, in combination, a rudder, an indicator, a transmitter, means whereby said transmitter actuates said indicator, and means whereby said rudder actuates said transmitter, said lastnamed means including a tine connection and a coarse` connection whereby said transmitter is operated through unequal increments of angular movement corresponding to equal increments of movement of said member, means whereby said connections become successively efective, and means whereby said tine connec-tion is effective within predetermined limits of movement o'f said rudder, and said coarse connection during movements of said rudder beyond said limits.

In testimony whereof we have aiixed our signatures.

LUELLA vH. MILLS, NATIONAL CITY BANK OF NEW YORK, By J., FRANK BIRDSELL,

Trust Ocer,

Upea/:centers of Chester B. Mills, deceased. 

